Druridge Diary: New species for the patch

Monday, 7 April 2014

New species for the patch

A patch tick for me, not the most exciting, granted, but a good addition to my patch list.

Egyptian Goose!

Not a new patch, Stewart Sexton allegedly had a fly-through Gypo goose in the final year of the old patch competition. I can remember giving him dogs abuse for ticking it at the time, but all is now forgiven!

Thanks again to Dave Elliott for the news, which I received whilst still at my desk, but I was soon scarpering from the office and on my way to the patch. The goose was in the fields to the west of the Budge fields, associating (and I hate to admit this) with a greylag. It wasn't long before it parted company though, to take up its own place in the field, adding to its 'fully wild' credentials.

This wasn't only a patch tick, but a new County bird for me (and a few others according to Twitter).

I also year-ticked song thrush tonight, which may well have been part of a bigger movement of thrushes as we moved on about 15 redwings from the bushes. I wonder if they'll be off to Scandinavia tonight ahead of the better weather? I'll have a look tomorrow morning.

102 EGYPTIAN GOOSE
103 song thrush

PWC Score: 127

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A bit about Druridge

My local patch, Druridge Pools, is a mosaic of different habitas in the middle of the eight mile stretch golden sand that is Druridge Bay (that made it sound quite nice...). It all fits nicely into about 1 square kilometre (NZ2796).

The Northumberland Wildife Trust (NWT) bit consists of two wet meadows which should be grazed. They hold water for most of the year, providing wintering habo for wildfowl and waders and in the summer breeding habo for waders, ducks and coot,meadow pipits and skylark are also common. One screen hide looks west and a small hide looks south from the central path. On the north of the central path is a very deep pool, which is sometimes good for wintering duck and otters are regular, the edge can be good for passage waders.

The National Trust bit consists of a narrow line of trees seperating the wet bits from the dunes which they also manage. The dunes are best in spring for wildlfowers. To call the line of trees a wood is stretching it a bit, but what the hell. The woods are a bit dense to work for migrants but the north and south ends are good, also worth checking is the Druridge Bushes at the north of the site and the plantation and willows by the entrance. NT also own the two paddocks at either end.

Then there is the Beach and Sea. The beach often has large roosts of gulls and terns and away from the summer is good for sanderling and other waders. Seawatching from Druridge can be both rewarding and frustrating, it is often very good but stuff can be a little far out compared to Newbiggin or Snab Point, although I have seen long-tailed skua over my head from the dunes. large numbers of scoter can build up and in most, if not all months, there are red-throated divers about, occasionaly joined by great-northern and the scarcer black-throated. Inland of the pools is farmland and the derelict Chibburn preceptory.